31. Lunacy

Chapter 31

Lunacy

Another two days passed, and Joy had yet to arrange her return trip to Chicago. But what incentive did she have with Charlie constantly distracting her? He was so good at it, like this morning as they got ready for work. He picked her up, tossed her on the bed, and went all vampire on her neck. Amid her giggles, she somehow wound up on top of him. She pushed him flat on his back and straddled his hips.

Amused surprise flickered in his eyes. "Something I can do for you, princess?"

She propped herself on her hands and leaned over him, her mouth inches from his. "Yes. You can lie still like a good boy while I do something for you ." Desire to wrap her lips around him ignited within her.

"Are you trying to make me late for work?"

"It's a possibility, but let's not forget you're the one who started playtime." With an eagerness that was becoming commonplace, she undid his fly and tugged his jeans and boxers down his long, muscular legs. He helped by kicking them off the rest of the way while she sat back on her heels and enjoyed the sight of his erection springing free.

That cocky grin that made her weak-kneed spread over his face. "Enjoying the show?"

"Immensely. And I do appreciate how helpful you are when it comes to taking off your clothes."

He tucked two fingers into her waistband and tugged downward. "Yours too."

"Not just yet." She pounced, lapping at the smooth surface of his crown.

"Hang on," he grunted and hauled her upright by her armpits before reclining on his back once more.

Sure she'd bungled at playing the seductress, she sank her teeth into her bottom lip. "What did I do wrong?"

"Not a damn thing. But you're wearing too many clothes." Lust glinted with a dark sheen in his orbs as he made a vague wave up and down her body. Then his dirty mouth got into the action. "I want to feel your bare tits against my legs while you're sucking me off. Strip for me, princess."

On cue, her nipples puckered. With a smirk, she took her time shimmying out of her top, leaving her in her white lace bra. His eyes smoldered as he watched her.

"Now the bra," he croaked.

Slowly, she reached behind her back and unhooked the clasp, letting the cups release, but she didn't pull it off. "Bottoms too?" she asked with every ounce of innocence she could muster.

"All of it. Off."

She rose up on her knees and worked off the shorts, leaving her in tiny panties and the bra she was trying her damnedest to keep in place. His cock jutted toward the ceiling, seeming to grow even bigger.

"You're killing me, princess," he groaned.

She cupped her ear. "What was it you wanted again? I'm not so good at this."

He pointed down. "Your hot little mouth, right here."

She licked her lips, relishing the power that surged inside her. She slid the bra from her arms and delighted in the way his eyes flared. With unhurried movements, she wriggled out of the panties and flipped her hands to the side. "Like this? "

"Fuck yes. I'm about to explode."

"Well, we don't want to waste an explosion , now do we?" She went into a crouch and slithered up his body, sliding her skin against his, until she reached his neck. His fingers twined in her hair and tugged as she sucked and kissed her way to his bobbing Adam's apple and back down to his collarbones. Under his rapt gaze, she took her time licking and flicking her way across his chest, down his blocky abs to his belly button, where she spent a great deal of time until he snorted.

"That tickles." His stomach muscles contracted and smoothed out with his laughter.

"Hmm. Well, does this tickle?" She laved a path down his happy trail, watching him as she went.

A sharp intake of air. "No."

"How about this?" She grasped his rock-hard length and treated it like an ice cream cone.

His eyes burned into hers, and he gasped out, "N-no."

"Good to know." She proceeded to lick her way up, down, and around before taking him into her mouth and sucking hard. His expression transformed into something that was a combination of ecstasy and agony.

He dropped his head back and closed his eyes, stabby breaths moving in and out of his lungs. "Jesus fucking …" The rest of his words were garbled moans.

She worshipped him with her mouth while her fingers stroked, losing herself in the sensations cascading down her spine. Just as she had him on the brink, he rose up and flipped her on her back, nearly knocking the wind from her lungs.

He flashed her a wicked smile. "Trust me, princess. You're really good at this. So fucking good, I need to stop."

And they did, despite the flames firing up … because Luna proceeded to throw up beside the bed.

Hours later, as she drummed her fingers on the reception counter in Neve's clinic, Joy told herself fate was keeping her in Fall River so she could be helpful. The blond on the other side of said counter seemed uninterested in whatever justifications flitted through Joy's brain. She had glanced up when Joy and Luna had entered but now tippy-tapped away on her keyboard, head down. No earbuds were visible, so Joy could only deduce Lauren was choosing to ignore her.

"Excuse me," she repeated for the second time. When the woman still didn't acknowledge her, she gave the counter a firm slap with her palm. Lauren's head snapped up. She glared at Joy and immediately went back to her typing. "Does your employer know you're neglecting her clients?"

Lauren lifted her head and narrowed her eyes.

Joy flashed a humorless smile. "I have an appointment."

"You're not in my schedule."

How do you know if you didn't bother to ask me my name? Oh, right. Small town. You do know my name.

"Let me rephrase. Luna has an appointment. Charlie Hunnicutt called this morning to set it up. I know because I was there and heard him myself." Okay, that was mean, but this girl was pissing Joy off. And honestly, Joy was showing great restraint. She could have said they were in bed together naked when he placed the call and that she'd coaxed him there after he'd already showered and dressed—and that very little coaxing had been necessary.

She smiled as she recalled the scene. If Lauren noticed, she probably thought the smile was directed at her. Ha!

Lord, Joy had it bad!

"I slept with him first," Lauren blurted.

Well, I slept with him last, you little—

"Hi, Joy!" Joy glanced over to see Neve waving at her from the hallway. "Charlie texted me, so I'm ready for Luna."

Neve shot a glower at the back of Lauren's head. Joy sent her one from the front and sashayed toward the exam room, wriggling as she went in a vain attempt to unstick her damp panties.

"No fever, and no other indications that it's more than something she got into that upset her tummy," Neve said fifteen minutes later as they stood in the private exam room. "Keep an eye on her today, and if she gets worse, call me on my cell. "

"Thank you. Charlie will be so relieved to hear it."

Neve held up her phone. "He's already texted me. Do you want to tell him, or shall I?"

"Um, if I could?" How weird was it that she stood here in a vet's office with a dog that didn't belong to her but that she'd been falling for as steadily as she had its owner.

"Of course." Neve leaned against the exam table and crossed her arms. "Forgive me for being frank, but I've known Charlie since we were kids." Joy braced herself. A little grin curved Neve's mouth. "I just want you to know I love that you two are together."

"Oh, but we're not … I mean, uh …" Joy stammered.

"Well, whatever you want to label it, you two are super cute. Charlie outgrew the women around here a long time ago." She lifted her chin toward the door, apparently indicating Lauren. "I think you balance each other nicely. I also think you fit in around here really well. That's not always easy to do."

"I, um, thank you. That's nice of you to say."

Neve rolled her eyes. "I know. Keep my big nose and mouth out of it."

"But it's Fall River. You can't possibly," Joy heard herself say. They both cracked up. Seriously, though, what did the other townspeople—besides Lauren and Germaine—think of Joy with their most delectable bachelor? Why did she care what they thought? She'd ponder that question later.

As soon as she loaded Luna into the back seat of the Beamer—yes, sacrilege, but so what?—she called Charlie to deliver the good news. On her way back to his house, she let her thoughts cavort around her current lack of motivation for her job.

A part of herself she didn't recognize had dug in its heels, slammed the door, and wasn't letting her inside its secret vault to discover where that commitment had gotten off to and how to get it back.

Okay, so she wasn't clueless. She knew what—or who—was messing with her drive.

When her thoughts turned to Charlie, as they seemed to do at least twice a minute, she pondered how her entire being came alive and glowed whenever he laid eyes on her, whether it was that lustful expression that promised he was about to rock her world to something far simpler and sweet. A golden retriever smile, a private joke, or the serious set to his brows when he was hyper-focused on his carpentry or a remodeling plan.

This was no good, though. She couldn't continue dodging responsibility, no matter how much Playful Joy wanted to stay. Now that she'd let out that fun side, she couldn't seem to put Playful back in the bottle.

But Responsible Joy, who had been in control her entire adult life, had to get back to Chicago. That was where her home was, her job, her friends. Wait. She didn't have friends in Chicago. With the exception of Estelle and her therapist, Joy could only claim colleagues, and they knew as little about her as she knew about them—even Sterling, with whom she'd once been intimate. How could she know Charlie's body so much better after only three weeks than she'd known Sterling's after months? Because Charlie was an open book, and guys like Sterling—guys she used to gravitate toward—were cagey shadow figures who didn't want to get too close. And that had been fine before.

Truly, she had more friends here in Fall River than she had back in Illinois. And they were more than friends. In a flash of awareness, she realized they had filled in as the family she'd always craved but never had. Supportive, caring, loyal. And at the center of her newfound family was Charlie Hunnicutt himself.

Charlie was off somewhere for the day, so Joy plopped onto the couch to make a plan. Luna hopped up and laid on her chest, and she stroked the wiry little dog. "I'm glad there's nothing seriously wrong with you, but you better not tell your dad I've been letting you up here, or we'll both be cut off from treats. And no offense, but I think I'd miss the treats he gives me way more than you'd miss the ones he gives you." Excitement and the forbidden thrill had the dog's body shaking as she stretched out, sphinxlike. "Yep, I get it, girl. I'm in the same boat."

Beside them, Sunny whimpered and twitched.

"I'm sorry, girl, you're too big," Joy informed her. She scratched her soft ears and wondered when she had fallen under the spell of these sweet pups, this little town, and one certain contractor. What had started out as a clear mission had morphed into something wholly unexpected, and she'd been blindsided. She was enjoying a shared intimacy only her made-up characters had known .

Who would have thought Mr. Cover Model, Happy-Go-Lucky had so much depth, a soul that wrapped its warmth around her and made her feel safe? Cherished? Loved? Would Charlie ever consider moving to the Windy City? His essence was wrapped up in his town, and she loved that about him. Loved … him .

Impossible.

They'd met a mere month ago. That wasn't enough time to know if one was truly in love, nor if it was the sort of love that would hold.

Was it?

And why was she having these thoughts anyway? Because she was wound up in a tangle of euphoric, terrifying emotions. How could this possibly end without irreversible collateral damage to her heart?